1. Field
The following description relates to a sensing apparatus that uses groups of Hall sensors and an apparatus using the sensing apparatus. The sensing apparatus is capable of identifying a body that includes a magnetic element by using groups of Hall sensors.
2. Description of Related Art
Usually, a folding mobile terminal, such as a covered type or a folder type terminal, is configured to connect a channel or operate a lamp of a display module by means of detecting an opening and closing of the covered terminal and controlling a terminal in response. A folding mobile terminal is usually divided into first and second structures and refers to a terminal in which two structures are connected to each other, and the structures are opened or closed (hereinafter “folding mobile terminal”). That is, when a user opens a covered terminal upon receipt of a message or call, a channel is connected, and when a user closes a covered terminal, a channel is disconnected. Further, when the user opens a covered terminal, a lamp of the terminal is powered on, such as a backlight. Thus, the user may easily see a display module of the opened covered terminal.
In the above-mentioned terminal, typically, a reed switch made of a magnetic substance having a permanent magnet and elasticity is used to detect an opening and closing of the cover terminal. A reed switch is an electrical switch operated by an applied magnetic field. Further, in various terminal models, by variably amplifying a voltage which is output at a Hall sensor, being of an appropriate shape and size according to the terminal model and design, sensitivity of a switch may be controllable without changing a magnet of the reed switch or modifying a distance between the magnet and the magnetic substance.
In some approaches, only one Hall sensor is used to detect whether the folding mobile terminal is open or closed. The opening or closing of the folding mobile terminal is identified in these approaches by determining whether a sensor value obtained by the one sensor is greater than a certain value. That is, such a sensing apparatus only detects a magnitude of magnetic field from the magnet. Further, such an apparatus operates dichotomously in accordance with the magnitude of the detected value, in that the magnitude alone simply determines whether the folding mobile terminal is open or closed.